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Crawford County JPs Call For 8 Percent Cuts

Crawford County justices of the peace sent department heads back to their calculators Monday night in an effort to erase a $580,000 deficit from the 2013 budget.

The deficit represents the amount by which funding requests exceed anticipated revenues in the general fund. Since Oct. 15, the deficit has been whittled down from nearly $740,000, after several department heads reduced requests and contributed money from their automation funds to the general revenue column.

JP Mary Blount, chairman of the Quorum Court’s budget committee, said the panel called on the department heads, most of whom are elected officials, to do two things in advance of the next budget meeting on Nov. 8:

• Review their county vehicle use and submit a report to the Quorum Court.

• Review their respective budgets and identify 8 percent in cuts, beyond what may have already been cut in previous budget meetings.

County Judge John Hall told JPs last week that an overall 8 percent cut would yield about half a million dollars.

Blount said JPs prefer to let department heads propose their own adjustments, and the Quorum Court will look at the vehicle reports to identify possible additional cuts.

JP Elaina Damante said she thought across-the-board departmental budget cuts were necessary because all departments are underfunded.

“We have no options, and we don’t want to lay employees off or make them pay for their health insurance,” she said.

JP Christi Haught said the 8 percent figure is “not necessarily an agreeable option” for some of the smaller offices with very limited budgets and no automation funds, and, ultimately, the panel might have to review areas that the county has the option not to fund.

“We’re not asking employees to pay for their insurance, they already aren’t paid enough,” Haught said.

Blount said 174 county employees are covered under the insurance plan. While employees pay nothing for themselves, they do pay a premium for family members. Insurance costs the county about $1.13 million for medical coverage and $56,400 for dental coverage. If employees paid 10 percent of their individual premium, it would save the county $169,360.

Raising property taxes, which stand at 1.9 mills, was an unpopular discussion point and would only be considered as a last resort.